Y13 [EN]: Chapter 287

Y13-287 The 2011-2012 Finals (Final)

Jeff Van Gundy was right. LeBron was struggling, largely because Dallas’s strong defensive lineup was focused on him, denying him easy shots. This allowed them to gradually widen the score, but even as the lead increased, Coach Carlisle’s expression remained uneasy, as he felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

“Something wrong?”

Terry Stotts, the assistant coach, accurately read Coach Carlisle’s expression.

“…I was thinking about Yoon.”

As soon as Coach Carlisle said that, Youngjae received the ball with less than 5 seconds left on the shot clock, lightly shook off Mike Miller, his defender, with a spin move, and aggressively attacked the rim, barely managing to get a layup off.

Swish!

Wowwwww!!!!

Y13!!!

Y13!!!

“He’s still amazing today. It’s reassuring to have Yoon. We were chased to within 3 points, but he widened the lead to 7 points in just 2 minutes…”

However, Coach Carlisle sighed faintly.

“The dependence on Yoon is too high. Yoon isn’t a player who can play for more than 40 minutes consistently. At least on offense, Barea and Terry can fill Yoon’s void, but defensively, there’s no one to fill it. There’s also a significant drop-off in offensive capabilities when he’s out.”

At Coach Carlisle’s words, Terry Stotts seemed to understand what he was saying and looked at him with a knowing expression.

“An ace’s absence is something no team can truly fill. No matter how perfect the system, it can’t completely compensate for an ace’s absence. But the gap is too big. Especially with Kidd and Terry’s below-par performance tonight, Yoon’s presence is even more crucial against teams with superstar-level guards. We saw the same thing in the Oklahoma City game.”

“But still, our team is in a better situation overall, isn’t it? I think the skills and records of our other guards are good enough. Other team coaches would consider it a luxury to complain about this.”

Stotts replied with a light smile, accustomed to Coach Carlisle’s pursuit of perfection.

“That’s true. But that doesn’t mean a coach should just sit back and relax. Finding another player is a problem for next year; for now, I need to think more about how to improve our backcourt defense even without Yoon. The problem is that I can’t experiment recklessly in the Finals…”

Despite Stotts’s consolation, Coach Carlisle couldn’t shake off his uneasy expression. Stotts gave him a short, sharp reminder.

“Think about that after the game, and focus on the game for now. It’s still going on.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I need to focus on this game for now.”

The two stopped talking and focused their attention on the court.

[Youngjae Yoon is really putting on a show. He’s been a thorn in the Miami Heat’s side since the last Finals, where he was the runner-up for Finals MVP, right?]

[34 to 27, the Miami Heat immediately substitutes Dwyane Wade for Mike Miller, and Udonis Haslem for LeBron James, who hasn’t rested for 14 minutes. Unlike last year, Coach Spoelstra has increased the diversity of his rotation quite a bit.]

Norris Cole slowly dribbled the ball and passed it to Wade, who was standing on the left side just past the half-court line. Wade glanced at Youngjae, who was guarding him, and initiated a 1-on-1 battle.

[Dwyane Wade versus Youngjae Yoon?]

[The reason why it’s hard to say that the Miami Heat’s Big 3 combination is firmly established is this. Even in their second year, 1+1+1 is not >3, but 1+1+1<3. It's not quite at the level of 'you go once, I go once' from last season, but they're still not fully realizing the potential of the Big 3. Team President Pat Riley and Coach Spoelstra both need to keep thinking about this problem.] In reality, the Miami Heat often won games through individual brilliance rather than seamless teamwork. Wade's off-ball movement had improved, but the limitations of his inconsistent three-point shooting and LeBron's lack of off-ball movement created an overlap, hindering their efficiency as a duo. Coach Spoelstra compensated for this weakness by minimizing the time Wade and LeBron played together and increasing Wade's cuts to the basket, but it still wasn't enough. Wade tried to post up against Youngjae, who was backing him down. Youngjae, rather than trying to overpower Wade, was timing his steal, holding his ground and waiting for the right moment to switch to a face-up defense. [Norris Cole moves to the opposite side of Wade, Shane Battier goes to the top of the key, and Chris Bosh moves to the right wing. And near the basket, Udonis Haslem seems to be focusing on rebounding and clearing space for Wade.] [But Dallas's defense is incredibly solid. Brewer is positioned at the top, and Marion is fiercely battling Haslem for position in the paint. Wright is preemptively positioning himself to block Bosh's outside shot at any time by coming out to the high post, and Kidd is shadowing Norris Cole, preparing for rebound situations with Marion. It's really impressive!] Brewer, who was guarding Battier, saw him slowly moving into the high post and ruthlessly stuck to Wade to double-team him. "?!" Wade struggled momentarily under the double-team, but fortunately, he floated a high pass to Bosh, who had drifted out to the top of the key. Wade took a sigh of relief as he retreated behind the three-point line. [Corey Brewer came in for a double-team at the perfect time! Brewer is good at 1-on-1 defense, but he's a player who often mistimes his help defense, but he timed it perfectly this time.] Corey Brewer was good at man-to-man marking, utilizing his top-notch speed and quick hands, but his tactical understanding, such as when to double-team and which player to stick to in specific situations, was lacking. He also had a tendency to gamble for steals, leaving him vulnerable when he failed. Fortunately, his high foul rate wasn't a major issue as a bench player. [Chris Bosh to Norris Cole. Norris Cole back to Shane Battier.] [But Brewer is already sticking to him tightly, right? As expected, the Miami Heat's organic offensive flow isn't working well.] Battier gave up on shaking off the tightly attached Brewer and passed the ball inside to Haslem. But it was impossible for Haslem, who lacked offensive prowess, to shake off Marion's defense. In the end, the ball was just being passed around like a hot potato. "Hey!" The experienced Battier passed the ball to Haslem and immediately faked a run to the wing, then came back to help Haslem, but Marion and Brewer, who were double-teaming Haslem, were strong defenders. Tak! [Udonis Haslem! A terrible turnover!] [The pass was too careless! Corey Brewer steals the ball!] Brewer, who caught the ball, handed it off to Kidd, who didn't force the issue and slowed down the tempo. Tak! [Norris Cole! Touches Kidd's pass but fails to steal it.] [The Dallas Mavericks are definitely showing their experience. Perhaps because they have a 7-point lead, they seem calm overall, never rushing to finish the game.] As the ball bounced out, Barea, Parsons, Nowitzki, and Chandler, who were preparing to substitute, lightly high-fived Youngjae, Brewer, Marion, and Wright as they entered the court. "Hoo-" Youngjae took a sip of sports drink, thinking that the game was far from easy, and swirled it around in his mouth a few times. He always enjoyed the fleeting coolness by holding the drink in his mouth rather than gulping it down. "Marion, your defense is on point today?" "Hoo, that guy [LeBron] is a monster. Honestly, it's overwhelming." At Marion's words, Youngjae flattered him, saying, "Hey, still, it's because it's you, Marion, that you've managed to contain King LeBron to this extent." Marion laughed and replied, "Is that so?" "How is it? Is it hard to post up today?" "After all, whether it's Battier, Wade, or LeBron, it's honestly difficult. It seems like only you, Nowitzki, and Terry can consistently create individual scoring opportunities today, for better or worse. Those guys are solid no matter who defends them. It's tough unless there's a mismatch." Youngjae asked about the situation because Marion had hardly called for the ball to post up, and Marion's answer was as expected. "The good thing is that there are a lot of open chances because they often go for double-teams, but it seems difficult to make the pass." "Hoo, the pressure is so strong that it's hard to pass it to any teammate once you get caught." Marion and Youngjae could only smile bitterly at each other, sticking their tongues out at the opponent's stifling defense. [In today's game, the Dallas Mavericks' overall stability is declining. Beyond the ups and downs of shooting, tempo control and passing plays are not smooth.] [Clearly, the Dallas Mavericks, who had a 7-point lead until 3 minutes into the 2nd quarter, are showing the same listless performance as the end of the 1st quarter! Again, the 7-point lead is reduced to 2 points in 3 minutes!] Jeff Van Gundy pondered for a moment, then spoke with sharp eyes, as if his thoughts were organized. [First of all, the big issue is that they can't control Wade on defense. As a result, they have no choice but to get caught up in the opponent's game, and on offense, Barea and Terry can't withstand the strong double-team pressure and are committing turnovers. This often leaves them vulnerable to fast breaks.] [Is that... so?! That's absolutely true!] Mike Breen shouted with a surprised expression, and Steve Kerr also nodded. [In the Miami Heat, the players who mainly handle the ball are Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. In the case of LeBron James, Marion and Parsons are taking turns guarding him, and they are actually containing him to some extent. But Dwyane Wade is running wild like a fish in water when Yoon is not on the court, and at that time, LeBron is also focusing the ball on Wade as much as possible.] [Now, Brandon Wright is driving to the basket!] Wright, who had good athleticism and a decent finish under the basket, maximizing efficiency, but Wright's ball-handling skills were insufficient to simply force his way in without a 2-on-2 play. As Bosh and Haslem converged on Wright and pushed him hard, Wright looked around to pass the ball. '?!' Wright also realized something, but now he had to somehow get the ball to the rim. Parsons belatedly came out to the perimeter and reached out, and as Bosh stuck to Parsons and blocked the passing lane, Wright tried to create space by pivoting. [Shot clock at 2 seconds!] "Ugh!!!" In the end, Wright couldn't shake off Haslem properly and went up for a forced shot. Haslem skillfully stretched both hands upwards and blocked Wright's path. Beee-!! [Ah! Wright's awkward shot, neither a floater nor a layup, doesn't even touch the rim! Air ball!] [Parsons should have come out to the perimeter faster, right? Wright wouldn't be isolated if he received the pass quickly in such a situation!] ============================ Author's Afterword ============================ ★Thank you to those who gave advance reservations, recommendations, comments, and manuscript fee coupons!! ★Thank you for Santa Lucia's sponsorship coupon!! anguqwhdk/// Hoo, LeBron at that time was a beast. There was really no stopping him. He just broke through with strength and speed. These days, he has a lot of mileage on his body, and he says that various parts of his body hurt due to weight loss. So it seems like he's restraining himself a bit. Still, since his jumper isn't great, driving to the basket is still his main focus. It's going to be hard to maintain good stats in his later years if he doesn't develop a reliable jump shot. Han512, CountOfDark, 사라질영혼, 오마리온/// Thank you for the comments!! Please enjoy this episode! 야베스/// Yes. As you said, if Youngjae wants to surpass Kobe, he seems to have to surpass him in a similar way to Duncan [Tim Duncan, known for his fundamental skills and longevity]. President Ma... is truly a transcendent figure;; ㅎ0ㅎ/// In the NBA contract, Super Rookies have a sort of "slave contract" for 4 years; They have to make money through advertising or sponsorship contracts ㅋㅋ. The maximum salary is also tiered by years of experience, so young players always earn less than the maximum salary of 30-year-old players. 4-6 years - 25% of team salary, 7-9 years - 30% of team salary, 10 years or more - 35% of team salary Fortunately, if Youngjae meets the conditions due to the Rose Rule [a rule that allows a player coming off his rookie contract to earn a higher maximum salary if he meets certain criteria, such as winning MVP], he will receive more money than the Super Rookies before Derrick Rose. 흑월화야/// Yes. As you said, Youngjae's presence on the court is immense, but the void is felt even more when he's not there. He's the team's leading scorer and assist man, so that's how it is on offense, and the defensive void is felt even more due to Kidd and Terry's aging. 위티드/// Ah, you won't be able to see today's article... The first episode you see when you can use the computer. I hope you get discharged healthy. 강자일/// Yes. If they win the championship, they will become true superstars, and if they finish as runners-up, they will be a little disappointed, but they will still be considered rising stars. eastarea/// Basketball is fun with the players' flashy plays, but the coaches' head-to-head battles are also exciting. Players change dozens of times during the game, dozens of tactics are employed, and there are more than 10 timeouts per game, so I think it is the sport with the greatest application of the coach's tactical skills among team ball sports. Guards even talk to the coach with gestures or loud voices when they hold the ball and cross over or during free throws. Honestly, I think top-class masterminds bring as many wins to the team as LeBron or Curry. 여신유리찬양/// Yes. Youngjae can hard carry alone in Asian competitions. The last 2011 Asian Championships were about that level, so it will be even more pronounced in the future ㅋㅋ Youngjae's value is now only increasing in advertising or sponsorship amounts. His salary has already secured the maximum just by what he has done so far. The problem is that the maximum salary is tiered by years of experience, as written in the Ricoment above. Unlike MLB [Major League Baseball], where there are no restrictions once you reach free agency, and European football, where there are no restrictions, the NBA and NFL [National Football League] have strict salary caps and maximum salaries. Of course, Dallas will try to re-sign Youngjae to the maximum. Youngjae's influence may also be involved in player recruitment or coach recruitment. LeBron is worth 500 billion... It will probably be enough. LeBron received hundreds of billions in a multi-year contract when he was a rookie. I remember an article that James Harden recently signed a 10-year, $200 million contract with Adidas. goimosp/// Curry signed when he was injury-prone, so it turned out to be a steal of a contract ㅋㅋ. Youngjae is healthy, so if he continues like this, he will receive the maximum in 2014. The salary cap issue is thoroughly considered, and the roster is being created. It's not easy because I'm trying to match the player's value based on reality or the players who are released as free agents. 2012 and 2013 have been almost confirmed, and 2014 is still being discussed with my brother because I don't know if I will use it until then.